Inseam-trimming machine



(N M l) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. s]. HARRIS.

I .INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINE.

No. 556,146. Patented Mar.'10, 1896.

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ELMER S. HARRIS, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

INSEAM- TRIMMIFNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,146, dated March 10, 1896,

Application filed December 30, 1895. Serial No. 573,719. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELMER S. HARRIS, of IIaverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Inseam-Trimming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to machines for trimming off the surplus material of the welt, upper, and inner sole of a welted boot or shoe at the seam which unites said parts, and it has for its object to provide a machine adapted to smoothly trim said seam without displacing the welt during the operation, and in such manner as to form a smooth slightly-hollowed trimmed surface as close to the stitches as may be desirable, without liability of cutting the stitches, the hollowed form of the trimmed surface being desirable for certain reasons hereinafter explained.

The invention consists in the combination, in an inseam-trimming machine, of a feedwheel having a beveled or frusto-conical periphery and a concave outer side, the two forming an extremely acute angle which enables the feed-wheel to support the welt without displacing it, a yielding support adapted to enter the crease between the welt and upper and to hold the welt against the periphery of the feed-wheel, and a curved trimmingknife movable in a path which extends into the cavity of the concave side of the feedwheel, the knife being therefore adapted to move in close proximity to the outer acuteangled edge of the feed-wheel, so that during the trimming operation all the parts will be in their natural position, the curved knife forming a slightly-hollowed trimmed surface.

The invention also consists in certain improvements relating to the means for operating the knife, and, further, in the employment of two alternately-operative oscillating knives and a grinding device arranged to act upon the knife which is not in operation, thus preparing it for its next period of operation.

Ofthe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents afront elevation of an inseam-trimming machine provided with my improvements. Fig.

2 represents a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a sectional view of the feed-wheel employed with an oscillating trimming-knife. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

The same letters and figures of reference indicate the same parts in all the views.

In the drawings, a represents a supportingframe having fixed bearings a a, in which is journaled a driving-shaft I), which may be continuously rotated by power applied in any suitable way.

0 represents a knife-supporting rock-shaft journaled in suitable bearings a on the frame a, and provided with a short arm a adjustably secured to the shaft by means of a collar c and screw 0 said arm 0 being connected by a rod 0 with a crank b on the drivingshaft 17, so that the rotation of said shaft imparts a rocking or oscillating motion to the knife-supporting shaft 0.

To the shaft 0 is affixed a head or holder d, which, as shown in Fig. 1, bears a continuous circular knife (1 The preferred construction, however, is that shown in Fig. 4, the holder d being provided with two segmental knives cl cl located at opposite sides of the axis of the shaft 0, each knife being of considerable length and concentric with said shaft.

I provide the holder 01 with ears d to which the inwardly-bent ends (Z of the knives are attached by screws (1 6 represents a feed-wheel, which is affixed to a shaft 6 journaled in a suitable bearing a supported by the frame of the machine, said bearing being preferably adjustable, as hereinafter described. The feed-wheel c has a beveled or frusto-conical periphery 2, and a concave outer side or face 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The feed-wheel is arranged so that its concave side receives a portion of the operative trimming-knife d, the holder d being oscillated in a path which carries one end of the operative knife (1 toward and from the feed-wheel shaft 6 and into and out of the concavity of the feed-wheel 6. But one of the knives d is operative at a time, the holder d being elevated above the feed-wheel, so that the other knife is subjected to the action of a rotary grinding-wheel f, which is affixed to a shaft f journaled in a bearing a on the machine-frame and driven by a belt running from a pulley on the driving-shaft to a pulley affixed to the shaft f. The oscillating motion of the head (Z causes the inoperative knife to pass back and forth in contact with the grimling-wheel while the other knife is operating, so that each knife is being sharpened while the other is in use. The knives are rendered interchangeable in position by means of the collar c and screw c, the rock-shaft 0 being provided with a series of recesses c, as shown in Fig. 5, each recess being adapted to engage the screw 0, so that the shaft can be secured to the collar (3 in several. positions.

g represents a yielding support, which is preferably a wheel of frusto-conical form journaled on a stud aflixed to a lever g,which is pivoted at g to an car on the bearing a and is pressed by a spring g in such manner that the wheel or support g has a constant tendency to approach the periphery of the feed-, wheel. The support- (7 is formed to enter the crease between the welt and upper of the boot or shoe to be trimmed and presses the welt against the periphery of the feed-wheel.

The described form of the feed-wheel, due to its frusto-conical periphery and its concave side, together with the arrangement of the curved knife, whereby the latter projects into the concave side of the wheel, enables the wheel to support the welt in its natural position and also enables the knife to cut away the surplus material at a point as close to the stitches of the inseam as maybe desired without liability of cutting said stitches, the welt being in its natural position, so that the support 9 enters the crease and the location of the trimmed surface is determined wholly by the stitches of the inseam. The curved form of the knife enables it to take out the surplus material and form a trimmed surface which is slightly hollowed transversely. This form of trimmed surface prevents the material from being crowded outwardly against the outer sole during the subsequent operations of finishing the shoe, thus obviating to a great extent the liability of the formation of a check or crack between the welt and outer sole in the completed boot or shoe.

h represents a rest, which is secured to the frame of the machine in any suitable way and is arranged to bear upon the face of the inner sole ata point near the inseam to insure the proper position of the sole relatively to the knife and prevent the knife from cutting into the sole at the inner side of the seam.

The feed-wheel e is rotated by power communicated fromv the driving-shaft Z) through a shaft i driven by a belt from the shaft 11, a shaft 1: driven by a belt from the-shaft i and provided with a worm i and a worm-gear i affixed to the shaft 6 of the feed-wheel and meshing with the worm i this arrangement providing for a sufficiently reduced rate of movement of the feed-wheel.

The bearing a supporting the feed-wheel is preferably adjustable in order that the periphery of the feed-wheel may be adjusted slightly toward and from the edge of the knife. To this end I affix the bearing cfito a plate a which is secured to the frame of the machine by screws a passing through mental slots a" formed in said plate, one of said screws and slots being shown in Fig. 1.

I find that by employing a curved knife and imparting an oscillating motion thereto I am enabled to trim the work sufficiently without heating the knife excessively by f riction and therefore without burning or discoloring the work, a result which is not infrequent when a circular knife is used having a continuous cutting-edge.

The bearing a supporting the shaft of the grinding-wheel is provided at its upper end with an oil-chamber a having a removable cap a. A screw-head a" on the upper end of the shaft f projects over the joint between the bottom of the oil-chamber and the upper end of the shaftf and regulates the flow of oil from the chamber a. The pulleyf, which is affixed to the shaft f and receives rotary motion from the driving-shaft through a suitable belt, is extended upwardly around the lower portion of the bearing a, and has a cavity f forming an oil-cup arranged to receive the surplus oil that drops from the bearing, the oil being thus prevented from working down from the grinding-wheel.

It will be seen that the action of the feed wheel a and spring-pressed support g upon the welt is to smoothen or beat out the latter, removing all wrinkles and distortions and leaving it in a smooth condition ready to receive the outer sole. This result is due to the peculiar form and arrangement of the feed-wheel, the support g, and the curved knife, whereby the welt is held in its natural or proper position during the trimming operation.

It is obvious that so far as the form of the feed-wheel and the relative arrangement of the feed-wheel, support g, and curved knife are concerned my invention may be embodied in a machine having a continuous circular knife instead of two segmental knives.

In Fig. 4. I show a non-rotating yielding support 9", which is a part of the lever g.

I claim- 1. In an inseam trimming machine, the combination of a feed-wheel having a beveled. or frusto-conical periphery and a concave outer side, a yielding support adapted to hold a welt against the periphery of the feed.- wheel, a curved trimming-knife movable in a path which extends into the cavity of the concave side of the feed-wheel, and meehanism for operating said knife and feed-wheel.

2. In an inseam-trimming machine, the combination of a feed-wheel having a beveled or frusto-conical periphery and a concave outer side, a yielding support adapted to hold. a welt against the peripheryiof the feedwheel, a curved trimming-knife movable in a path which extends into the cavity of the concave side of the feed-wheel, a drivingshaft, connections between said shaft and the knife, whereby the knife is oscillated, and

having a curved knife, of the grinding-wheel arranged oversaid holder, the shaft affixed to said wheel, the fixed bearing supporting the shaft and having an oil-chamber at its upper end, and the pulley affixed to the shaft below the bearing and formed as an oil-cup.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 17th day of December, A. D. 1895.

ELMER S. HARRIS. \Vitnesses C. F. BROWN, E. BATOHELDER. 

